Joy Koesten, a longtime educator and community activist, has filed for a seat on the Johnson County Community College (JCCC) board of trustees. The election will take place in November.
A former Kansas state representative for the 28th District, Koesten has an extensive background in higher education and serving in various community leadership roles. Koesten is excited to put her skills to work serving on the JCCC’s board.
“For 43 years, my husband Stewart and I have called Johnson County home,” Koesten said. “Higher education has been the center of my professional life for more than two decades. And, like so many locals, my relationship with this community and with JCCC are deeply entwined. I would be proud to serve the college that has served us so well.”
Johnson County Community College has earned the reputation of offering an affordable, high-quality education. Koesten understands the value education brings to county residents throughout their lifespan, as well as the value of an educated workforce to the businesses of the region. If elected to the JCCC board, Koesten said she would work to uphold the longstanding tradition of supporting world-class higher education.
Koesten has strong ties to JCCC, having been both a student and instructor at the community college. After raising her children, Koesten went back to school at JCCC to complete her teaching certification, allowing her to return to the workforce as a substitute teacher in the Blue Valley and Olathe school districts. A few years later Koesten returned to JCCC as a trainer and consultant for local businesses through the college’s Business and Industry Institute.
After earning her master’s degree at the University of Kansas, Koesten joined the JCCC faculty serving as a part-time adjunct faculty member while working on her doctorate in communication studies. After earning her doctorate in communications studies, Koesten taught at Washburn University, and later as an assistant research professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Kansas and as an assistant dean of the graduate school at the University of Kansas.
Years later, JCCC was instrumental in laying a career foundation for one of Joy’s children, who wasn’t ready to go right into college after high school. Instead, she pursued training for her massage therapy license from JCCC. For 16 years she used that education to support herself and her family as she pursued further educational goals, eventually earning her doctorate.
In addition to her success in academia, Koesten and her husband, Stewart, founded Aspyre Wealth Partners. The firm provides executive coaching services as well as fee-only financial planning.
A strong advocate for mental health, Koesten has served as trained advocate and educator for the Kansas National Alliance on Mental Illness, and as a trained advocate and board member of the Jackson County CASA.
In 2019, Koesten and her husband launched a campaign to fund an Endowed Professorship in Developmental and Behavioral Health at Children’s Mercy Hospital, supporting research in adolescent depression and suicide prevention. Currently, Koesten serves as an appointed member of the Johnson County Charter Commission and as a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee.
Follow Joy on Twitter (@joyforkansas), Instagram (@joyforkansas), and Facebook (Joy for Kansas) to stay updated on the campaign, or reach out to her at or (913) 972-7883.
